Ear-nut with handles

ABSTRACT

An ear-nut or jewelry clasp for gripping a post extending from the back of an earring or other piece of jewelry or ornament. The clasp has a pair of gripping tabs  22  which are longer and/or wider than other parts of a clasp to facilitate gripping by the user when removing the clasp from the post. The clasp may also have a radially outward extending earring stabilizer to avoid ear lobe bending by heavy earrings.

RELATED INVENTION

[0001] The entire disclosures of Rissin U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,114 issuedMay 25, 1999 titled “Earring Stabilizer” and applicant's pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/545,301 filed Apr. 7, 2000 titled “AnImproved Earring Stabilizer” are hereby incorporated by reference. It isto be understood that the improvements of the present invention could beused with the inventions disclosed therein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention pertains to a clasp, such as an ear-nut, forgripping a post of an item that is secured by a post, which passesthrough a body part, or clothing. The most usual use of suchpost-mounted items is for earrings intended for pierced ears, but suchpost mounting is also used for broaches or other jewelry items that aremounted by posts which pass through clothing parts (e.g. lapels).Nametags and identification badges are similarly mounted. Thus the term“Jewelry Clasp” as used herein encompasses such uses to the extentpermitted by the prior art.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Ear-carried ornaments or earrings are frequently mounted by meansof a post which projects from the back of the ornament or earring forpassing through a pierced ear lobe or other parts of the ear. Withdrawalof the post is prevented by an ear-nut which is screwed onto a threadedpost or slid onto a post which has an outer surface that may be smooth,notched, or ringed. Usually such a slide-on ear-nut has a base platewith a center opening and a pair of bent-out fingers which are rolledinto a circular shape to be positioned so that a portion of thatcircular shape will frictionally engage the outer surface of a jewelrypost when the post is pushed through the center opening in the baseplate. When removing the jewelry or ornament the ear-nut must first beslid off the post with sufficient force to overcome the engagementfriction. In order to grip the ear-nut for removal, the user willusually, perhaps inadvertently, grasp the pair of circular rolledfingers mentioned above. Therein lies the problem; these rolled fingersare difficult to grip and the tighter one squeezes them, the greater isthe engagement friction to be overcome. Thus there is a long felt needfor an easier way to grip an ear-nut for removal from a post of a pieceof jewelry or ornament.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0004] Various complicated devices have been proposed to find some wayto form an ear-nut which can be readily loosened such as in U.S. Pat.No. 6,058,581 to Ehrland where the ear-nut is made from a piece ofresilient metal bent in a circle with overlapping ends. Each end has akeyhole—shaped opening arranged so the ends can be squeezed to line upthe two circular portions of the keyholes for insertion or removal. Whennot squeezed, the resilience forces the two slot portions of thekeyholes to grip the post and prevent removal.

[0005] The patent to Tobita (U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,239) discloses anear-nut of elongated tubular shape having an inwardly projecting ridgewhich engages a circumferential groove in the jewelry post. The tube hasa longitudinal slit to permit radial expansion so the tube can be slidon and off the post.

[0006] Artzt U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,706 teaches a structure similar toEhrlund, with two fingers rolled up to project toward an inserted post,each finger having a U shaped wire projecting from the end thereof. Thewire U shapes overlap but have a spring bias away from each other andmust be squeezed together to make a circular opening for the post topass through. When not squeezed, the two wires grip the post fromopposite sides.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is a principal object of this invention to provide a simple,inexpensive, and trouble-free jewelry clasp or ear-nut which can bereadily gripped by a user without the necessity to align two overlappingportions or deal with an unduly long ear-nut body.

[0008] It is a further object of the invention to provide a jewelryclasp which can be readily gripped to be screwed or slid on and off ajewelry post without having any special squeezing or rotating motions.Another object of this invention is to provide a readily removableearring clasp or nut which includes an earring stabilizer to prevent aheavy earring from sagging on a wearer's ear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is a jewelry clasp such as an ear-nut whichhas a pair of friction fingers and may be screwed or slid onto and off ajewelry post in the usual manner, but also has two rearward projectinggripping tabs which are not connected to the friction fingers and thusgripping of the tabs does not increase the engagement friction. Thesegripping tabs are preferably longer and/or wider than the frictionfingers so a user can readily find them, even when unseen behind an ear.Further objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled inthe art upon review of the attached drawings and specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is perspective view of a typical prior art jewelry claspfor post-mounted earrings or ornaments;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 3 is a side view of the jewelry clasp shown in FIG. 2;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the jewelry claps of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a side view of a jewelry clasp similar to that shown inFIG. 3 but with wider tabs;

[0015]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the jewelry clasp shown in FIG. 5;

[0016]FIG. 7 is a side view of a modification of the jewelry clasp shownin FIG. 5;

[0017]FIG. 8 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 but with an attachedearring stabilizer;

[0018]FIG. 9 is a side view similar to FIG. 3 but with an attachedearring stabilizer;

[0019]FIG. 10 is a bottom view similar to FIG. 4 but with an attachedearring stabilizer; and

[0020]FIG. 11 is a side view similar to FIG. 5 but with an attachedearring stabilizer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] For a better understanding of the problem of removing prior artear-nut or jewelry clasps, one only needs to review FIG. 1. Fingers 12extend from base plate 26 and frictionally engage post 14 at area 16.Frequently area 16 has a notch as shown or a plurality ofcircumferential rings on post 14 so as to increase the frictionalengagement of fingers 12 against post 14. Frequently a user will attemptremoval by gripping outer surfaces 13 and 15 of fingers 12. But suchgripping only compounds the problem because the tighter one squeezes,the greater the engagement friction at area 16. It would be better forthe user to grip base plate 26 such as by getting a fingernail under thebase plate but in case of short finger nails or a tight base plate, thiscan be difficult to do.

[0022] Instead of this self-defeating gripping, the present inventionprovides user gripping tabs 22 as shown in FIGS. 2-6 (and a modificationthereof in FIG. 7 with tabs 32). The present invention has a base plate26 having a pair of spring biased friction fingers 12 which are rolledin the conventional manner into two curved ends which project aboveopening 28 in base plate 26 so that when a jewelry post 14 is insertedthrough opening 28, the fingers 12 will frictionally engage post 14 inthe usual manner.

[0023] However, in the present invention instead of attempting to gripfingers 12 when one seeks to remove the clasp or ear-nut, tabs 22 areused instead. Tabs 22 are not directly connected to fingers 12. As aresult inward pressure on tabs 22 does not increase the frictionengagement of fingers 12 and the clasp or ear-nut is made easier toremove. Preferably tabs 22 have a non-smooth outer surface such a dimple24 as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 6. The tabs 22 may be rectangular asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3, circular with a center dimple as shown in FIGS.5 and 6, or a U shaped piece of stiff wire 32 as shown in FIG. 7. Itshould be understood that FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 each show two tabs 22 (or 32in FIG. 7) but only one can be seen because the other tab lies directlybehind the one shown.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2 the spring fingers 12 are preferablypositioned diametrically opposite each other at the twelve o'clock andsix o'clock positions. The tabs 22 are preferably positioneddiametrically opposite each other at the nine o'clock and three o'clockpositions.

[0025]FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of a jewelry clasp or ear-nut andillustrates that opening 28, which is preferably centrally located,preferably has a funnel shaped center depression 30 to facilitatethreading post 14 into opening 28.

[0026] Tabs 22 (or 32 in FIG. 7) preferably project away from base plate26 a greater distance than fingers 12 and/or are also wider than fingers12 so that it is easier to find the tabs 22 to insure their use in claspor ear-nut removal. Their larger size also makes them easier to grip,particularly when a dimple 24 is present.

[0027] For convenience in manufacture both finger 12 and tabs 22 may bean integrate part of base plate 26, with the base plate first being flatwith four projections which are subsequently bent around to form fingers12 and tabs 22. However it is also contemplated that fingers 12 and/ortabs 22 could be later secured, as by jeweler's solder, to base plate 26as is indeed already the case with stiff wire tabs 32 as shown in FIG.7.

[0028] FIGS. 8-11 are included to illustrate how the present inventionmay be used in combination with the invention disclosed in applicant'searlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,114 issued May 25, 1999 titled “EarringStabilizer” and the further related invention disclosed in applicant'sco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/545,301 filed Apr. 7,2000 titled “An Improved Earring Stabilizer”. Both of these inventionsare concerned with the problem of preventing an earring, especially alarge or heavy earring from hanging improperly at an angle due tosagging or bending of the ear lobe. Most earrings are visually morepleasing when hanging in a substantially vertical orientation, but someare “top heavy” and need more support. Such support, as disclosed in theabove mentioned prior inventions is provided by extension bars 36 and 37attached to an outer edge of an ear-nut, with a loop shaped stabilizermember 35 at the outer ends of the extension bars. The stabilizer member35 preferably comprises a concave surface 38 where it is proximate tothe wearer's eminentia conchae.

[0029] As described in applicant's above referenced prior inventions,such an earring stabilizer must be comfortable to the wearer andcarefully secured to the earring retaining means, such as an ear-nut, toproject radically outward from the periphery of the base plate. When aheavy or large earring is worn, a tight fit of the earring is importantand with an earring stabilizer such a tight fit is more important tokeep the stabilizer resting properly against the back of the ear or earlobe.

[0030] However an earring stabilizer is no substitute for the grippingtabs of the present invention since it can be even more difficult to getone's fingernail under the stabilizer than under an ear-nut base plate.Thus there is a long felt need for gripping tabs 22 in ear-nuts equippedwith earring stabilizers.

[0031] In each of FIGS. 8-11 there is illustrated an ear-nut with anearring stabilizer 34. In plan views FIGS. 8 and 10 the component partsare visible including extension bars 36 and 37, which support a loopshaped stabilizing member 35. The stabilizing member 35 preferably has aconcave edge 38. The extension bars 36 and 37 are secured to base plate26 by any suitable means, such as Jeweler's solder 39 or may be formedintegrally with base plate 26 as by stamping or casting as is explainedin detail in applicant's above referenced prior inventions.

[0032] The earring stabilizer 34 preferably extends radially outwardfrom the base plate 26 so as to be an extension of the back surface ofthe base plate as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11. The stabilizer may be securedto the base plate at any point on its periphery but it preferablyextends outwardly from a location adjacent one of the gripping tabs 22as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, that is from a 3 o'clock or 9 o'clockposition where the gripping fingers are at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clockpositions.

1. A jewelry clasp for gripping the post of a piece of jewelry, saidjewelry clasp comprising: A base plate having a first surface for facingtoward said piece of jewelry and a second surface for facing away fromsaid piece of jewelry, an opening in said base plate for passing ajewelry post therethrough; At least one spring finger extendingoutwardly from said second surface to a position where a portion of thespring finger can frictionally engage a side surface of a jewelry postwhen said post is passed through said opening; At least one usergripping tab extending outwardly from said base plate second surface toa position where said tab can be gripped by a user for removal of saidjewelry clasp from said post.
 2. The jewelry clasp of claim 1 in whichsaid base plate is substantially circular and said at least one springfinger is a pair of spring fingers extending substantially from thetwelve o'clock and six o'clock positions thereon and said at least onegripping tab is a pair of gripping tabs extending substantially from thethree o'clock and the nine o'clock positions thereon.
 3. The jewelryclasp of claim 2 in which said pair of gripping tabs extends fartheroutward than said spring fingers.
 4. The jewelry clasp of claim 2 inwhich at least one of said pair of gripping tabs has a greater widththan either of said spring fingers.
 5. The jewelry clasp of claim 2 inwhich said gripping tabs have a non-smooth outer surface to facilitategripping thereof.
 6. The jewelry clasp of claim 5 in which saidnon-smooth surface is at least one dimple.
 7. The jewelry clasp of claim2 in which at least one of said gripping tabs is a substantially Ushaped piece of stiff wire secured to said base plate.
 8. The jewelryclasp of claim 2 in which the opening in said circular base plate iscentrally located and said base plate first surface has a funnel shapeddepressed area around said opening to facilitate entry of a jewelry postinto said opening.
 9. A. clasp for gripping a post extending from theback of a piece of jewelry, said clasp comprising: a generally circularbase plate having a first surface for facing toward said piece ofjewelry and a second surface for facing away from said piece of jewelry,a centrally located opening in said base plate for passing a jewelrypost therethrough, a pair of opposed spring fingers on said secondsurface positioned to frictionally engage opposed sides of a jewelrypost when said post is passed through said opening, a pair of opposeduser gripping tabs extending outwardly from said second surface to aposition where said tabs can be gripped by a user for removal of saidclasp from said jewelry post, said tabs being spaced away from saidspring fingers, and being wider and longer than said spring fingers. 10.The jewelry clasp of claim 1 including at least one earring stabilizerextending radially outward from said base plate.
 11. The jewelry claspof claim 10 in which said earring stabilizer includes first and secondgenerally parallel extension bars and a stabilizing member connected toat least one of said first and second extension bars.
 12. The jewelryclasp of claim 11 in which said first and second extension bars projectradially outward from said base plate at a position adjacent one of saidgripping tabs.
 13. The jewelry clasp of claim 11 in which said first andsecond extension bars are secured to said base plate by solder orstamped as one piece.
 14. The jewelry clasp of claim 9 including atleast one earring stabilizer extending radially outward from said baseplate.
 15. The jewelry clasp of claim 9 in which said earring stabilizerincludes first and second generally parallel extension bars and astabilizing member connected to at least one of said first and secondextension bars.
 16. The jewelry clasp of claim 9 in which said first andsecond extension bars project radially outward from said base plate at aposition adjacent one of said gripping tabs.
 17. The jewelry clasp ofclaim 9 in which said first and second exterior bars are secured to saidbase plate by solder.